Simple Nighttime Potty Training: Successfully Ditch The Diapers

Are you ready to take the step to nighttime potty training your toddler or preschooler? Keep reading for the full guide of how to be successful in one try! 

Nighttime potty training can feel scary, right? Especially when your toddler is sleeping through the night. The thought of potentially interrupting everyone’s sleep can be rather intimidating. It also could be a good enough excuse to just put off night training even if your child is full day trained.

If you are ready to take the plunge, mama you are in the right place! Let’s dive in.

I will share everything that worked for me, as well as share our entire process from start to finish. My goal is that you will read this and leave feeling confident you will get the nighttime potty training going and you won’t lose much sleep in the process!

So the magical first question I always get asked…….

HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN TO START NIGHT TIME POTTY TRAINING? 

I spoke a bit about this in my Potty Training Under 2 post. Most of the time the readiness falls onto the parent’s shoulders. 

When are you ready to commit? If you are trying to nighttime potty train a 2-year-old at the same time you are daytime training them (as the book, Oh Crap! Potty Training suggests) then you only have to make this decision once!

If you are like me and split the two up, then it is all about when YOU are ready to pull off that diaper and limit liquids before bedtime! 

DON’T WAIT AROUND UNTIL THE CHILD’S DIAPER IS DRY THROUGH THE NIGHT!

I see this frequently. Parents will gauge their child’s readiness for their night diapers. This is not fair to do. The child has been peeing overnight for 2-3 years in this diaper at night. That is not a good sign of being ready to start nighttime potty training your son or daughter.

 NIGHTTIME POTTY TRAINING TIPS

Wait until they are sleeping in a big boy/girl bed or converted crib before you start the night training. 

I never wanted to teach my toddler how to climb out of their cribs pre-maturely. That is what older brothers are for! (Kidding). In all seriousness, it that the child has easy access to their little potty. More on this later.

Don’t rush your child out of a crib either! Especially if you have more than one child! Containment is magical with toddlers, and it also gives them a safe place to feel very secure in. No need to rush this process. Really! 

Do not put any pull-ups on your child at night. This is very confusing for them because pull-ups feel just like a diaper would. 

Either just put their pajamas on, or have underwear on. No diapers and no pull-ups when you commit to starting!

Accidents will happen! Have a few fleece blankets on hand nearby to throw over the wet sheets if it happens in the middle of the night. 

It may seem gross to some people, but the fleece won’t soak up the pee and the child will be able to quickly go back to sleep and you won’t have to change sheets at 3 am! 

WHAT IS A GOOD AGE TO START?

The book I mentioned above written by Jamie Glowacki mentions that the longer you wait to train at night, the harder it will be for the child to learn to consolidate and hold their pee. The time frame is between 2-4 years old.

The bladder is being developed around 3 ½ years old so the muscles need to practice holding and consolidating or they will atrophy. There is a potential for a bedwetting problem to develop after 4. So in short, as much as we would all love to avoid night training we just can’t!

LET’S GET STARTED WITH NIGHTTIME POTTY TRAINING

PICK YOUR DATE

About 5 days before starting your official nighttime potty training endeavor start to slowly reduce the amount of liquid you are giving your child. Do this a few days before and not on the start date. The book talks about it as an upside-down triangle.

THE UPSIDE DOWN TRIANGLE PICTURE

• In the morning the triangle is the widest. Give your child liquid as you normally would.
• As the day goes on start to gradually limit the liquid intake.
• By dinner time you are approaching the tip of the triangle. Limit before bedtime to avoid accidents. 

BUY YOUR NIGHTTIME POTTY TRAINING GEAR

You might have already purchased some of these items if you read my Potty Training Under 2 post. However, here is the list! 

• Portable potty to go next to the bed
• A waterproof mattress cover 
• A night light so your child can see if they need to get up

If your child has an accident, it is nice to have a fleece blanket on hand next to the bed. You won’t have to change sheets in the middle of the night and you can quickly put them back into bed with a soft dry blanket. 

Also do away with any complicated snaps, buttons, and one-piece pajama sets. Time for easy on and off PJ’s for a simple peeing process mid-sleep. 

Children and their  Digestion are super important also. I love these supplements by Mary Ruth’s. We use them as a family.

SET YOUR TIME TO WAKE YOUR CHILD TO PEE

I wish there was a way around “waking to pee” but at the beginning there just isn’t. 

I don’t like how it sounds, because in all reality the child doesn’t even wake up. They are sleep peeing. Simple emptying their bladders and going right back into a deep sleep.

It is not as intimidating as it sounds! 

Gently lift them out of bed. Do not turn on ANY lights and set the potty right next to their bed. The process is less than a minute and should be very quiet. I did this for about a month before my son was able to start consolidating and holding it all night long. 

I would wake him to pee around 10 pm right before I went to bed. He goes to bed around 7 pm. I do not recommend waking them too early before they have gotten into a deep sleep. The magic window was around 10 pm for us.

• For the first few nights go in every 4 hours or so to try and pee. Check on them but don’t stay too long. 
• If your child wakes around 6 or 7 I would not wake them to pee after 3 AM.
• After a few days, you can drop the wakings to about 10 pm and 2 am and then gradually to just 10 pm, and then drop them altogether. 

HOW DO I KNOW IF NIGHT TIME POTTY TRAINING IS WORKING?

It gradually just starts to happen. If there are consistent bedwetting episodes evaluate the liquid intake and maybe hit the pause button so you can both get sleep. Just be gentle with yourself in this area! It is a process. The child will eventually get the hang of consolidating with your help! 

LET’S RECAP NIGHTTIME POTTY TRAINING

1. Pick your start date and gradually focus on reducing liquid intake (Upside down triangle).
2. Buy your gear: portable potty, waterproof mattress cover, and nightlight. 
3. Wake child to pee every few hours at first and then slowly weaning down to no waking
4. Happy dance! No more diapers! 

ARE YOU CURIOUS HOW TO START DAY + NAP TRAINING? CLICK HERE.